Marlene Phillips, a member of Tucson’s Drinking Liberally, finally got fed up. She sent me this, and appeals for your action:
It started two weeks ago, when our congresswoman spoke in front of a group of citizens here in Tucson. A number of us wanted to know how she felt about impeachment; she replied that as long as Nancy Pelosi says impeachment’s off the table her hands were tied. So I decided if
that is indeed the case, all of us who think this administration is guilty of impeachable offenses must write to Speaker Pelosi and tell her to put impeachment back on that table immediately.
And I do mean all of us. My goal is not to send in a petition with a few signatures. I want a ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ moment, I want the mail deliverer to walk into the Speaker’s office with bags of letters all
of which demand that she immediately take the necessary steps to begin impeachment proceedings against the president and vice president.I encourage you to personalize this letter with your own thoughts. Feel free to change the articles of impeachment if you feel there are others that are more legally binding, have more precedent, or are more grievous. Whatever you add, please don’t stray from the main purpose of the letter, to convince the Speaker to
put impeachment back on the table.In an additional effort to make her take notice, I’m adding a gimmick. When you sign the letter and stuff it in the envelope, please include a symbol of a table: a paper or cloth napkin. On that napkin write your name, zip code, and the words “Put Impeachment Back On The Table!”
Please, take 5 minutes out of your busy life today for these 5 steps:
-
Change the
signature on this letter, personalize the language - While
the letter is printing, find a napkin and sign it - Find
an envelope and a stamp and -
Mail
the letter and signed napkin to Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Pelosi, Speaker
of The U.S. House of Representatives
Office of the
Speaker
H-232, US Capitol
Washington, DC 20515
5. Send
this email and letter to as many people as you can!
The only way we’re going to get her attention, or anyone’s attention, is if letters begin arriving en mass, so tell everyone to do the same.
If you would like to let others in your community know about this campaign, you can download napkin.doc
outlining the essentials which was put together by DL regular Pam Powers, who blogs at Muse Views.
I’m tired of doing nothing and nothing getting done. Aren’t you?
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This is NOT politics. This administration has broken the law, repeatedly and brazenly. And they continue to do it because they know they aren’t going to get called on it. The constant erosion of our rights will continue as long as these crooks stay in the White House. If you are afraid of upsetting voters by doing what’s right, you do not belong in office. Sheesh, guys. And if you are afraid that doing what’s right will benefit the opposition… well, that’s why we get such mediocre representation in Congress.
I disagree with several of the premises here. Rex, you seem to oppose impeachment because:
1) it would unify the GOP
2) it would waste the time of Congress better spent on other matters
3) the President is 16 months away from history in any case
4) it may generate a political backlash
5) those who support it are just time-wasting moonbat backbenchers
Please let me know if I missed anything. Except for #3, which I think is irrelevant, I disagree with all these premises as either false, or merely a complication we have to deal with rather than a reason to abstain.
As to my ‘non-American’ comment, it was not a personal aspersion on Rex, it was an observation that it is ‘non-American’ not to defend the constitution. I hardly see that as a controversial statement. If someone decides that suit fits him well, that’s not my fault if he decides it was bespoke when it was, in fact, off the rack.
And herein lies my single premise, which Rex seems to studiously avoid: precedent for presidents. Failing to exercise the constitutionally-provided remedy for executive tyranny tells the future that this president was justified in his uses of power and was not a tyrant. Address that. Why is that not true? If you can’t disagree with this, all the other reasons given above are simply obstacles to be overcome, not reasons for inaction.
As to Congress’ poll ratings being so low, it is not because they haven’t delivered; it is because they haven’t been active and strong enough in standing up to an unpopular and widely despised president. Everyone knows that the President has a veto and the minority a filibuster. Democrats have failed to make them use these powers more publicly to put their objections on the record. We should be passing a full slate of big-ticket legislation on everything from healthcare to tax reform – who cares if the President vetoes or the GOP filibusters, at least we’re on the record and can run in 2008 on those issues that the GOP is holding up. Instead, we make the mistake of trying to ensure that we can pass anything we try, and end up tied in knots by the minority and looking like we’re not doing anything. We have failed to learn from the GOP’s playbook; if you can’t win, at least let the voters know what stakes you are playing for. But this problem has nothing to do with impeachment, except that they both stem from a timorous and politically deaf leadership.
In any case, impeachment may be all but inevitable now anyhow. With the Senate investigation of attorneygate now a Congressional criminal investigation, any White House impediments will also be criminal violations and wonderful grounds for impeachment. I think we can rely on the White House to fuck themselves over in this manner rather than surrender their precious ideas about executive power.
So that solves the specificity of impeachment articles issue, too. I would keep this simple. One or two articles only to save time; all you need is one conviction to remove from office, so why have more than one? Obstruction of justice would be a perfectly adequate charge. Or if you want something more topical, how about the FISA violations? That will be easy to prove, as the President has already admitted to ordering FISA be violated, which is a felony. It has the added benefit of not being overtly political like impeachment over the Iraq war would be.
When you can’t get your way, question someone’s intelligence (George), call them “non-American” (Michael) and keep yelling and stamping your feet. The only people backing impeachment in the Congress right now are the ones who never get anything done because they can never get anyone to agree with them. Part of the reason for that is that they are quick to insult or denigrate anyone who dares to question their unassailable acumen.
The reason I oppose impeachment is because it would accomplish the opposite of what you believe it would achieve. It would strengthen and unify a GOP that is moving towards civil war over issues like immigration and it would needlessly divide the whole nation even further. Moreover, what would the articles of impeachment against Bush (and George now wants to impeach Cheney) cite? BE SPECIFIC!
If those articles of impeachment actually got through the House, do you honestly believe that a narrowly divided Senate would convict either Bush or Cheney? Can you count on every Democrat to vote for conviction, or any Republican crossing over to do so? This spectacle would consume Washington and the nation for months and to what end other than to satisfy either your zest for revenge or your misguided belief that you are safeguarding the Constitution.
Bush has been a disaster as president. However, he can’t be impeached. It is impractical and self-defeating to take him on in that fashion. I agree with George that Congress needs to take him on in several areas of policy. It would also help if Democrats followed through consistently and thoroughly on their promises with regard to Congressional reform. Their hypocrisy in that area is one reason for the low poll ratings.
Spare me the sanctimony and false piety. Call me names if that is how you prefer to debate. But, try to be realistic and practical as you chide the Democratic Speaker, Democratic National Committee chairman and most Democrats in the House and Senate for not embarking on this kamikaze mission that you insist will be the salvation of America.
Rex, come on pal, give it a rest.
For all the mamby-pamby responses for not going after impeachment the one that does not stand up to scrutiny is the one first cited by Rex:
“With all of the issues the Congress should confront that really affect the quality of their constituents’ lives, impeaching (and possibly trying) Bush is a sure way to turn even more people off to the political process and away from the two major parties.”
Rex, I honestly thought you’d be a little brighter than that to put this on the table. In fact, I think it is downright intellectually dishonest for you to keep on pushing that sort of nonsense. Listen up, Congress’ approval numbers are in the toilet for the simple reason that they WON’T stand up to the abuses by this administration. If they had the balls to stand up to Bush and really go make their case on the overt abuses their approval numbers would shoot up dramatically. (Besides, how can you go lower than they are now?)
Let’s forget the Clinton stuff for a minute and the ramifications it might have on the decision making by this Congress. What this administration is doing is downright criminal. How can you argue that punishing criminal action is a trivial waste of time for this Congress? These guys are simply putting Dick Nixon up a rung or two on the respectability ladder.
I want to put this out to all of you out there. Why do you think there are those out there (including our own Pelosi Puppet) who think no action against Bush is a means to appease the right to vote Democratic? Howie Dean even is against impeachment which means he is in Pelosi’s court (unfortunately). All it takes is to listen to Air America for a few minutes and find out that I and others who are indeed pissed off as hell at this inaction of this congress against the Bush Crime Family. For people like Rex who think we are in the “vast majority” you are simply and unabashedly wrong.
It’s time to impeach Bush and Cheney..it’s past time to end the high crimes and misdemeanors by this administration.
Well,
I was against the impeachment of Clinton & the investigation of Whitewater (waste of time and money). I know the left hates GWB, but he is in the last 18 months of his presidency and impeachment honestly makes no sense to anyone but those that hate him.
It would be good for the Republicans if Pelosi & crew attempted it. The moderate middle of the US would know that it is just politics and would feel empathetic towards GWB. [I disliked Clinton, but felt sorry for him.] In turn, a Republican would gain over Hillary and may beat her. They’d just have to show the video of Hillary “standing by her man”. It could hurt Hillary more than GWB.
later
Let me put in my 3 Cents!
Lets start Free Political Speech in America by REPEALING McCain-Fiengold!
This assault on The Constitution was signed into law by The Nutcase in The White House!
Repealing a Law that flies in the faces of any candidate or potential candidate for Federal Office;(Senate;Congress or President) would do more than impeaching a lame duck President!
I am frankly sick and tired of listening to people tell each other what the Congress should do. Every time someone says that to me, I suggest that instead of sitting around grousing with like-minded friends, they tell their elected representatives what they need to do to represent them. I make it a practice to phone Congressional offices when I think someone has done something that should be reinforced, to write emails and even – yes, even – put a stamp on an envelope and a letter inside the envelope.
As a retired survey statistician, I can’t in good conscience criticize polls (even though I get disgusted by decision-making through poll results), but the most important thing is to tell your elected representatives yourself, as early and often as necessary, what they have to do to represent you. That’s why I was so excited when I read Marlene’s suggestion.
I don’t know how many of you remember when Barbara Boxer stood with Stephanie Tubbs-Jones to protest the results of the 2000 eletion. People all over the country were so thrilled that Boxer had the courage to do that, we all sent her a single red rose and her office was filled to overflowing with red roses. I think it is now time for large, very heavy bags of mail. We want people to be involved, to vote, to be informed – and we want them to tell their representatives what to do to represent them.
Just my 2 cents!
I, too, originally thought impeachment was a waste of time and resources, Rex. But what changed my mind was one word: precedent. If this administration is allowed to continue to expand the powers of the executive branch unchecked, it sets a disastrous precedent for this country. That’s why conservatives are also talking impeachment, because they know that future presidents could take the lead from this administration and be dismissive of Congress and the Constitution, too…and those future presidents could be liberal Democrats. That’s why I changed my mind. I trully feel now that the only way to reign in the abuse is by putting impeachment back on the table.
Good going, Marlene. I’ve attended two different political meetings this week– LD28 happy hour on Monday and the Sonora Progressives Meeting on Wednesday. At both events people were talking about the impeachment napkin campaign.
Wow, if you disagree with the operator of this blog, you are labelled as something less than a true American. That kind of politics is very familiar to anyone who is a student of the 1950’s. It’s also similar to the “intellectual discourse” Dick Cheney once engaged in on the Senate floor with Pat Leahy.
Isn’t it possible to have a reasoned discussion about this topic without resorting to labelling and name-calling, Michael? Spare me the “save the Constitution” arguments, too. Impeachment does nothing to preserve the republic. Both the sanctity of our system and the hope that a reasoning, principled person will be our next president are furthered by Democrats, independents and common-sense Republicans coming together to defeat the right-wingers at the ballot box. Until then, our elected representatives have better things to do than impeach and try a president who will be out of office in 16 months anyway.
The following polls suggest that the America public is sick of it’s uncrowned king: MSNBC on line poll:87% favor impeachment; The Times on line poll:50% favor; Zogby: 52%; Newsweek: 58%. Impeachment is necessary to stop the power grabbing precedent set by this president. Once the power has been taken, Congress can never get it back! Even if impeachment is not successful, it sends a powerful message to Bush to start acting like the President and less like a King.
First of all, there is no tending to shit as long as that criminal sits in the White House with a veto pen.
Second, you are simply making up this ‘vast majority’ who don’t want impeachment: 46% of Americans want impeachment, more than do not… that is called a MINORITY, not a ‘vast majority’.
Finally, this is not about political pay-backs, it’s about preserving our Constitution. If you don’t want to do that, you are not being non-partisan, you are being non-American.
Pursuing impeachment is a silly and trivial waste of the power entrusted to the Democratic majority. The vast majority of Americans do not want to engage in another morale-crushing, divisive impeachment battle. With all of the issues the Congress should confront that really affect the quality of their constituents’ lives, impeaching (and possibly trying) Bush is a sure way to turn even more people off to the political process and away from the two major parties.
As someone who was delighted to see the Democrats back in control of Congress, my expectation is that they follow through on their promises to those of us who invested our trust in them. Impeachment was not a part of the party’s campaign last year and it would detract from the focus on issues that should be top priority. If the Democratic leadership decided tosupport impeachment, it would become the ONLY issue on the table in Washington and in the presidential campaign, for that matter.
How sad if our entire nation starts to resemble Oro Valley in the 1990’s, when a recall election was held every other year. The advocates for impeachment may well have sound and noble reasons to justify their wish to see Bush removed from office, but the electorate will see it as yet another example of politicians playing games while more serious problems are neglected. Democrats need to tend to the nation’s problems and ignore the incessant calls for impeachment coming from certain quarters. To do otherwise would be both unwise and craven.
Hooray for Marlene! Finally, a creative suggestion for letting the speaker know what people are thinking! And believe me, those bags of mail are taken very, very seriously!